Upper Merion Armed Robbery Suspect ID'd; Had Previously Held Up Malvern Bank: Cops

A 25-year-old Philadelphia man who robbed a victim using a Wells Fargo ATM in Upper Merion at gunpoint on December 5 has been identified, the Upper Merion Police Department announced Thursday. Police said that he is the same man who robbed a bank in Malvern earlier in the month.

Jamal Goodwin, of the 2600 block of Carroll Street, approached the ATM on 101 W. Dekalb Pike at about 8 p.m. on December 5, police said.

With his gun held out, Goodwin approached the male victim and demanded money, according to police. The victim complied and Goodwin fled the scene.

During the investigation that followed, Upper Merion police detective Robert Smull made a connection between previous media reports and Goodwin, and was able to identify Goodwin as the suspect, police said.

By that time, Goodwin had already been arrested for a different crime in Chester County: the robbery of Malvern Federal Savings Bank on December 12. Goodwin had allegedly left the Malvern Institute, a rehab center, early that Monday morning, and took the SEPTA to Malvern station. From there he took a cab to Malvern Federal Savings Bank, where he demanded cash at gunpoint. He fled to Philadelphia, and authorities caught up with him shortly thereafter.

The identification of the Upper Merion robber was originally announced by police on December 23, but his name was not made public until Thursday.

Court documents show that a preliminary hearing has been set for January 9.

Image courtesy Chester County DA's Office.